Matchups Hardly a Secret : College football: Miami’s Erickson criticizes the system. Penn State decides to play in Arizona.

Bowl deadlines? Official dates?

Of course they were meaningless. Miami Coach Dennis Erickson, whose team is now ranked No. 1, never believed bowls suddenly would be honorable and follow the rules.

“To me that was a farce,” he said Sunday after the bids were officially extended. “The bowl matchups were made I don’t know how long ago.”

Miami will play the Big Eight champion, or the highest ranked co-champion, in the Orange Bowl. Nebraska, Colorado and Oklahoma are the Big Eight possibilities.

Bowl matchups were announced Sunday, but there were no big surprises, since news of the matchups were well known prior to Sunday’s deadline. Bowls are subject to a $250,000 fine for breaking the deadline, but no fines have been announced.

Penn State has decided to accept a bid to the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., where the Nittany Lions will play Tennessee. Penn State accepted the bid despite Arizona voters’ rejection of a paid state holiday for Martin Luther King.

“I didn’t talk to the whole squad,” Coach Joe Paterno said. “I spoke to some of the leading Afro-Americans on the team. I told them we might go to the Fiesta Bowl, but I wouldn’t encourage it if there would be sentiment among our black kids that they did not want to go.”

Wide receiver O.J. McDuffie said, “We wanted a New Year’s Day bowl game and got one.”

Bowl Matchups

CALIFORNIA Bowling Green vs. Big West winner /1 Fresno, Dec 14, SportsChannel, 1 p.m. ALOHA Stanford vs. Georgia Tech Honolulu, Dec. 25, ABC, 12:30 p.m. BLOCKBUSTER Alabama vs. Big Eight runner-up /2 Miami, Dec. 28, CBS, 6 p.m. INDEPENDENCE Georgia vs.Arkansas /3 Shreveport, La., Dec. 29, ABC, 11:30 a.m. LIBERTY Air Force vs. Mississippi State /4 Memphis, Tenn., Dec 29, ESPN, 5 p.m. GATOR Big Eight 3 /2 vs. Virginia Jacksonville, Fla., Dec 29, TBS 5 p.m. HOLIDAY Iowa vs. WAC winner /4 San Diego, Dec. 30, ESPN, 5 p.m. FREEDOM Tulsa vs. WAC runner-up /4 Anaheim, Dec 30., Raycom, 6 p.m. JOHN HANCOCK Illinois vs. UCLA El Paso, Dec. 31, CBS, 11:30 p.m. COPPER Baylor vs. Indiana /5 Tucson, Dec 31, TBS, 5 p.m. PEACH East Carolina vs. North Carolina State Atlanta, Jan. 1, ESPN, 8:30 a.m. HALL OF FAME Syracuse vs. Ohio State Tampa, Fla., Jan 1, NBC, 10 a.m. CITRUS California vs. Clemson Orlando, Fla., Jan 1, ABC, 10:30 a.m. COTTON Texas A&M; /6 vs. Florida State Dallas, Jan 1, CBS, 10:30 a.m. FIESTA Penn State vs. Tennessee Tempe, Ariz., Jan 1, NBC, 1:30 p.m. ROSE Washington vs. Michigan Pasadena, Jan 1, ABC, 2 p.m. ORANGE Miami vs. Big Eight winner /2 Miami, Jan 1, NBC, 5 p.m. SUGAR Notre Dame vs. Florida New Orleans, Jan 1, ABC, 5:20 p.m. /1: Winner of Fresno State-San Jose Stae game Saturday /2: Nebraska, Colorado and Oklahoma of the Big Eight will fill three berths. /3: Arkansas, will receive invitation if it defeats Rice Saturday /4: Brigham Yound and San Diego State will represent conference in bowl games. /5: Indiana will receive invitation if it defeats Purdue Saturday /6: Texas A&M; can clinch bid with victory over Southern Methodist Saturday.